| Graphics: |    3.5 |
| SFX: | 3.5 |
| Music: | 3 |
| Gameplay: | 3.5 w/mouse3 w/controller |
| Challenge: | 4 |
| Replay: | 3 |
| Overall: | 3 |
| Genre: | Classic/Puzzle |
| Reading ability: | Not required |
| Company: | Pow |
Background:
The game's title, "Block Kuzushi," translates to "block breaking," which makes the title of this game more of a generic explanation of the game genre of Breakout-style games. Thus, the title "Block Kuzkushi" is a rather generic name for a game, much like naming a shmup "Shooting Game." "Block Kuzushi" is used to describe several other games that came out on other platforms, such as the Playstation. For anime fans, there is a Hello Kitty Block Kuzushi and a Cyborg 009 Block Kuzushi on the Playstation.
It gets confusing because since I learned of this game and Supapon DX at the same time, there is actually a sequel to Supapon on the PS1 called Block Kuzushi: Kowashite Help!
The Game:
This game is like Arkanoid. You probably don't care about the story anyway, but the kid receives a distress call from a princess to come rescue her, and he has to make his way through the 100 room castle to get to her. Yay. The ship he flies reminds me a little of Twinbee. Game control can be either with the standard gamepad or with the mouse. As with Arkanoid: Doh It Again for the SNES/SFC, the mouse does improve gameplay.
By pressing the right trigger button or the right mouse button, your ship can switch between two different paddles. You have a yellow and a green one, and while this makes no difference at first, you can grab one powerup with one paddle and another powerup with the other, allowing you to switch between the two. So, you could possibly alternate between the Laser Shot and the Ball Catch, for example. Or, if you get stuck with an annoying powerup, you can switch over to the other one. Unlike Arkanoid, there is no secrecy as to which blocks contain powerups, since they are the square blocks and not the half-sized rectangle bricks. Here's a list of the powerups you will find in the game:
Laser Shot. It's not as handy as the laser in Arkanoid. Rather, you must press and hold the A button (or left mouse button) to charge the blast, and wait for it to self-release. Not holding the button until the shot is fired will abort firing. Moreover, you cannot move while charging, so make sure the ball won't be falling back down anytime soon before you can finish!
Speed Down. Makes your ball move slower, duh.
Paddle half. Makes your paddle half its size. Avoid this like the H1N1 virus.
Paddle long. It's like Viagra for your paddle.
Ball Catch. So you can, like, catch the ball. Press the button to release it.
Ball Power. Makes your ball break right through everything.
Ball Split. Press the button to split your ball into two. Double your pleasure, double your fun.
Ball Bomb. Press the button to detonate the area around your ball.
Life Line. Creates a last line of defense for when the ball gets past you. The ball can bounce off it three times before it is gone.
1UP. It gives you an extra life, duh.
Paddle Reverse. This sucks. Left becomes right and right becomes left. Avoid.
Warp Hole. This opens up a big black hole that sucks you in and allows you skip ahead a few levels. Woot.
Blocks come in various forms. There are normal blocks, of course, as well as moving blocks and hard blocks that take a few hits before they are destroyed. Then there are "perfect blocks," which cannot be destroyed unless you are using the Laser Shot or the Ball Power powerups. Sounds just like Arkanoid so far, right? Well, to make it more interesting and challenging, there are also shooting blocks that fire projectiles down at you. Often these will nail you when you are trying to keep the ball in play, so using the Life Line powerup would be a good strategy (if any are available). There are bomb blocks that will destroy surrounding blocks, which can cause chain reaction explosions at times. There are also boss levels, just as with Arkanoid.
Graphics:
The graphics are perfect for a game like this. Not too flashy to detract from gameplay, nor too plain. I think the game finds that happy medium.
Music/Sound:
Music is likewise sufficient. Nothing too memorable, but it is pleasant background music that does not get repetitive. Sound effects are on par for what you'd expect for a game of this genre, and explosions sound nice.
Challenge and replay:
In Arkanoid II: The Revenge of Doh, the next level would differ depending on whether you exit left or right. The third Arkanoid game, Doh It Again for the SNES/SFC, did not continue that tradition. Block Kuzushi, on the other hand, does. After the first few levels, you will have to decide between taking the left or the right door. This adds variety to the game, so no two games will be the same unless you want them to be.
However, control issues prevent this from being a game with high replay value. I'll explain this later.
The game also has a two player taisen mode, in which you face off against a friend or the computer. Some of these are boring, such as trying to get your ball past the other's defense, but others are more interesting. The best one, I think, has each of you on either side of the screen, and the blocks steadily creep to the bottom of the screen. It is a battle of survival to see who can last the longest.
The Good:
The game does have a cool concept with the ability to switch between two different paddles. I found this to be the most innovative part of the game. The animated intro sequence to the game is rather well-done too, I might add.
The Bad:
Control is rather lacking. I find that the ball does not bounce the same way off of the paddle as it would in Arkanoid, making the game not play as smoothly for myself. While using the controller, I find that the paddle moves a bit too fast. You can make it travel even faster by pressing the B button, but I find that I rarely need to use this because the default is a bit too fast by itself. Using the mouse controller improves this a bit, but not by much.
Overall:
If you do not already own it, I would recommend buying Arkanoid: Doh It Again for this console before Block Kuzushi. Block Kuzushi has cool features, but don't expect as solid gameplay as with Arkanoid. The ball physics just aren't that good and the control feels sloppy in comparison. However, it is fun to check out for those who really enjoy the Breakout/Arkanoid genre. If you are such a person, you may be interested in checking out Supapon DX and Zig Zag Cat.
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